SDLP reinstates ex-mayor who gave reference for rapist Defence Forces soldier

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

The SDLP has reinstated the party membership of a former mayor of Derry who provided a court reference for an Irish soldier jailed for rape.

The whip on Derry City and Strabane District Council has also been restored to Brian Tierney.

Mr Tierney apologised earlier this year after it emerged he had provided the reference for Kielan Mooney, which he later withdrew.

 

Mooney, of Bloomfield Park, Derry, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years in January at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin, for raping a woman who was a fellow member of the Defence Forces in 2021.

Mr Tierney, a former mayor of Derry City and Strabane, had his membership of the SDLP suspended and resigned the party whip in January.

The party launched an investigation which has now concluded with the reinstatement of Mr Tierney.

The SDLP said it had implemented a series of directives in relation to character references, appropriate social media usage and mandatory training for elected representatives on access to justice for victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

A spokesperson said: “We acknowledge the deep hurt caused by the issuing of a character reference for Kielan Mooney.

“We further acknowledge that councillor Tierney was misled about the nature of the offence, that his apology and his engagement with affected parties were fulsome, and that they have been accepted by the victim at the centre of the case against Mooney.”

In a separate case covered by the SDLP investigation, the councillor liked a prominent Facebook post in 2018 from the family of a local man who had recently taken his own life.

The party added: “We accept that while not intending to cause hurt, this added to the distress felt by a victim close to the situation.”

 

The spokesperson said: “Character references in the legal system have worked against victims and survivors of sexual violence and the SDLP are actively working for them to be prohibited in cases of this nature.

“Harm, even if unintended, needs to be addressed in a way that supports pathways to justice for victims.

“As a political party we accept the need to challenge and educate on attitudes that can contribute to an environment that is stacked against victims and survivors.

“The SDLP believes in the legitimacy of remorse and restitution.

“That’s why we have taken the decision to reinstate Brian Tierney’s SDLP membership alongside a number of substantial process changes within the party.

“The SDLP will continue to work towards the eradication of violence against women and girls and will actively campaign for the removal of character references in our courts.”